The rosters for the Arizona Fall League were recently announced. The fall league generally takes the 6 or 7 of the best AA and AAA prospects from every organization and brings them together in a 6 team league each Fall in….wait for it….Arizona.

If you’re looking for an off-season baseball fix and would like a glimpse into the M’s future, the league is an easy non-stop flight from Seattle, offers cheap and readily available tickets in great spring training ballparks, and plenty of sun. This year, the league boasts 30 former first round draft picks amongst the 1 or so players invited.

The Peoria Javelinas are playing games from October 12 to November 18 and feature 7 M’s farmhands:

Dustin Ackley, the 2009 #2 overall pick and the only AFL player on the M’s 40 man roster

Maikel Clieto, a burly righthander who came over in the JJ Putz trade and is rated our 11th best prospect.

Josh Fields, a hard throwing reliever who was the M’s #1 pick in the 2008 draft

The much ballyhooed Josh Lueke who, regardless of his past, does throw cheese and held AAA’ers to a .217 average

Sorry loyal readers, many of you may have been wondering “Linky, linky?” as I’ve been a bit absent from the world of Seattle Sports. Well here you are, only the choicest, tastiest Seattle sports happenings:

Bobby Thomson, of “shot heard round the world” (SHRTW) fame, passed away a few days ago. He hit what might be the greatest home run in baseball history, a 3 run shot in the bottom of the 9th inning to win a playoff for the pennant against the crosstown rival Dodgers. While Bill Mazeroski and Joe Carter both hit walk off home runs to win a World Series, neither of their shots became as iconic. Bobby Thomson hit his while playing in New York during the golden age of baseball, and was accompanied by a truly memorable play-by-play soundtrack (“the Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win…”).

As is often the case, Wikipedia provides the best summary of the SHRTW and its surrounding events.

Bobby provided me with one of the greatest baseball memories I’ll ever have, despite the fact I was born 31 years after his iconic blast. While working the All Star Game in 2001, I was able to meet both Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca. As a pitcher for the Dodgers, Branca served up both the SHRTW and a similar blast to Thomson in game 1 of the series. Decades went by without the two of them speaking, but in the 90’s they actually became close friends while making joint appearances at various baseball events. At the All Star Game in 2001, both were gracious in their manner and generous with their time. I walked away with a 5 minute conversation, a signed baseball, and reverence for Bobby Thomson. He will be missed.

Until this evening, I somehow neglected to watch Sonicsgate, the epic documentary that details the various sources of betrayal (Schultz, Bennett, Stern, Licata, Chopp) involved in the Sonics departure. Holy shit it’s miserable to watch. But every Seattle sports fan MUST sit down and go through it. Huge bonus points for the multiple Jim McIllvaine cameos.